Technology Journal: Portable Seed Treatment Services

A new seed treatment option is available to farmers with the LP2000 seed treater from USC, LLC. The unit, the company’s middle-capacity LP Series treater, is completely self-contained with an onboard power station. Using USC’s patented atomizer—which spins at 1,725 rpm to force product through a screen and distribute it evenly over seed—it can treat many types of seed, including soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice, at 2,000 bu. per hour; it is also capable of treating seed at varying rates. The LP2000 is mounted on a steel frame for easy transport and comes with a variety of accessories and add-ons, including a seed wheel, flow meters, a dry additive feeder, mix tanks and mix pumps. For more information, call (785) 431-7900 or visit www.uscllc.com.

RealView Guidance

The Matrix Pro guidance system offers producers TeeJet Technologies’ one-of-a-kind RealView Guidance Over Video along with several new productivity-enhancing features. Up to eight RealView cameras can be used to monitor multiple machine operations while viewing guidance information at the same time. Growers can choose Matrix Pro 570 with a 5.7" display or Matrix Pro 840 with an 8.4" display. Matrix Pro, the second generation of Matrix, adds many new capabilities to the system to help growers save time by storing multiple field boundaries and guidelines for use in future operations. Two-way data transfer allows uploading and downloading of job data, boundaries, no spray zones, AB lines and more. Additional information is available at www.teejet.com.

New Field-IQ Capabilities

The Trimble Field-IQ offers new variable-rate capabilities, fertilizer functions and planting performance features in time for spring 2011 use. The new features work seamlessly with the guidance capabilities of the Trimble FmX integrated display or CFX-750 touch-screen display, which run the company’s unique overlap detection technology. Farmers using the Field-IQ crop input control system for seed placement have reported average savings of up to 10% from reduced seed input costs and less waste. The Field-IQ system is compatible with a variety of crop and application equipment, providing monitoring for planters, air seeders for small grains or granular strip-till systems. Seed monitoring on row-crop planting systems allows operators to obtain information on the performance of their seeding system. The Field-IQ system is easy to install on application equipment from numerous manufacturers. Contact your local Trimble dealer, or visit www.trimble.com/locator to find the dealer closest to you.

Companies Form Alliance

Dickey-john Corporation announces the addition of the X30 machine control display, developed by Topcon Positioning Systems, to its lineup of consoles. The two companies have formed a strategic relationship to market the X30 console, which has a 12.1" display with an icon-based user interface, dashboard and interactive keypad. Features of the X30 console include compatibility with Dickey-john control ECUs; auto-steering using the Topcon AGI-3 receiver; compatibility with ISO virtual terminals; manual guidance via a lightbar system; coverage mapping; as-applied maps; and the ability to import XML prescription maps. For more details, visit www.topconpositioning.com.